Illegal Immigrant Accused of Kate Steinle Murder Has Now Learned His Fate

The trial of illegal immigrant Jose Ines Garcia Zarate, 54, who was charged in the 2015 murder of 32-year-old Kate Steinle, has finally come to a close.

According to local station KGO, Garcia Zarate was acquitted of the second-degree murder charge against him. It was expected that Zarate would be deported, rather than released.

BREAKING: Jurors found Jose Ines Garcia Zarate not guilty in the murder trial of Kate Steinle, who was shot to death on Pier 14 in San Francisco in July 2015, in a case that sparked a nationwide debate over "sanctuary cities." https://t.co/rN3CzKCa6K

A firestorm of controversy over the potential danger of sanctuary cities was set off after it was revealed that Garcia Zarate, who was accused of firing the fatal shot from a Sig Sauer .40-caliber handgun that he allegedly stole, had also been living in the United States illegally.

CBS News reported that prior to Steinle’s death, Garcia Zarate had been deported five times.

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As Fox News reported in October, San Francisco authorities freed Garcia Zarate, a homeless illegal immigrant, despite requests by federal officials that he be detained.

Fox News reported that during opening statements of the trial, Garcia Zarate’s attorney Matt Gonzalez stated that Zarate hadn’t stolen the firearm, but found it wrapped in a t-shirt on the pier.